Message from the CEO: Moving Business Forward

Good Morning Valued Chamber Member,

The CARES Act Rent and Utilities Assistance Program, in coordination with the Palm Beach County Community Services Department, is helping residents by providing a one-time rental and/or utility assistance payment to eligible Palm Beach County residents who have experienced loss of income, reduction in hours, or unemployment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Funds are for applicants who reside in apartments, houses, townhouses, or mobile homes. To be eligible for this assistance program, applicants must:

be a resident of Palm Beach County;
provide documentation to prove loss of income, reduction in hours, or unemployment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic;
provide documentation to show they have applied or are receiving state or federal unemployment benefits;
meet gross Area Median Income (AMI) limit not exceeding 140% AMI for the household;
have a lease and other utilities in their name or a household member’s name;
not have received any other financial assistance for rent and/or utilities for the period payment is requested;
have less than $5,000 in liquid assets in checking, savings, and cash card balances.

Applicants can only receive assistance once, but may apply for multiple services. All assistance must be applied for at the same time. Assistance will be provided only for past due rents and/or utilities. The due dates must be after March 1, 2020 and before December 30, 2020. To learn more please click here.

Health officials have a critical need for convalescent plasma, which is found in people who have recovered from COVID-19. The antibodies are used to attack the virus in patients still fighting the coronavirus. For more information and/or to donate, contact Baptist Health or OneBlood.
The Health Department has issued an advisory letting people know that when receiving a call from a Contract Tracer – the caller ID will read: FL DEPT OF HEALTH and/or FL HEALTH DEPT. If this ID appears on your phone, it is imperative that you answer as you may have been exposed to the virus.

The Federal government has created three new Federal drive-thru testing sites – in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. You can view this guide to help answer questions about drive-thru testing. You are encouraged to share this guide with your friends, family and employees and strongly recommend getting a COVID-19 test if experiencing symptoms.
The Boynton Beach Mall has partnered with Achievement Centers for Children & Families (ACCF) to host its second annual “Stuff the Bus” school supply drive which began last Friday, July 24th. The organization is collecting supplies for teachers and students to use throughout the upcoming 2020-2021 school year. ACCF’S bus will be parked at the mall’s east entrance through Friday, August 7th. Additionally, items can be dropped off at the mall management office. Supplies needed include: dry erase markers, erasers and board cleaner, electric pencil sharpeners, colored pencils, permanent black and blue ink pens, large and small erasers, large and small index cards, sticky notes, hand sanitizer, packing tape, glue sticks, pencils, crayons, notebooks, lined paper, poster board, rulers, children’s scissors, earbuds, computer mice, and mouse pads.

In that same spirit – The Spirit of Giving’s Back to School Palm Beach County will begin this Friday, July 31^st – Saturday, August 1^st. As anticipated, the need is much greater this year, resulting in more than 10,000 vulnerable Palm Beach County students receiving much needed supplies for a successful school year. Village Academy in Delray Beach is one of several locations distributing the supplies to the students. The Village Academy site, which will serve 4,000 students, has been modified to a drive – through event this year. For more information about this event and volunteer opportunities, please click here.

We are continuing to provide you with educational webinars and virtual experiences to help you and your business. Please see below for a list of upcoming virtual experiences:

07/28 – 12:00pm: Smart Talk for WomenSpeaker: Nancy Proffitt, Proffitt Management Solutions
Click here to register
07/28 – 5:00pm: Live After Five – Virtual After-Hours Network
Click here to register
08/07 – 8:30am: Prime Professionals Group Round Table – Sponsored by Allegiance Home Health
Speaker: Leah A. Foertsch, Esq and Jason S. Palmisano, Esq from the Law Firm, Pannone, Lopes, Devereaux & O’Gara, LLC
Click here to register
08/12 – 12:00pm: Boynton Beach: Lunch and Learn – Sponsored by iTHINK Financial
Speaker: Nick Kaloyis, CUNA Brokerage Services, Inc.
Click here to register
08/13 – 8:30am: August Virtual Membership Breakfast – Sponsored by the City of Boca Raton
Speaker: Scott Singer, Mayor, City of Boca Raton
Click here to register

To stay up to date on all Chamber activity, visit bocachamber.com or download the Chamber App on your phone or tablet and stay connected! You can also access all of our past virtual experiences by visiting our YouTube Channel.

Over the past couple of days, we have seen encouraging signs from Congress as they have taken steps to finalize another stimulus package aimed at helping restart the economy and return employees to work in a safe manner. As we continue to work through this pandemic – united as business leaders and community members – let us do our part to help flatten the curve by avoiding Closed spaces, Crowded places, and Close-contact settings. And always be sure to Wash your hands, Wear your mask and Watch your distance.

Moving Business Forward,